Electron beam controlled covalent attachment of small organic molecules to graphene

Markevich A, Kurasch S, Lehtinen O, Reimer O, Feng X, Muellen K, Turchanin A, Khlobystov AN, Kaiser U, Besley E (2016)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2016

Journal

Nanoscale Royal Society of Chemistry

Book Volume: 8

Pages Range: 2711-2719

Journal Issue: 5

DOI: 10.1039/c5nr07539d

Abstract

The electron beam induced functionalization of graphene through the formation of covalent bonds between free radicals of polyaromatic molecules and CC bonds of pristine graphene surface has been explored using first principles calculations and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. We show that the energetically strongest attachment of the radicals occurs along the armchair direction in graphene to carbon atoms residing in different graphene sub-lattices. The radicals tend to assume vertical position on graphene substrate irrespective of direction of the bonding and the initial configuration. The "standing up" molecules, covalently anchored to graphene, exhibit two types of oscillatory motion-bending and twisting-caused by the presence of acoustic phonons in graphene and dispersion attraction to the substrate. The theoretically derived mechanisms are confirmed by near atomic resolution imaging of individual perchlorocoronene (C24Cl12) molecules on graphene. Our results facilitate the understanding of controlled functionalization of graphene employing electron irradiation as well as mechanisms of attachment of impurities via the processing of graphene nanoelectronic devices by electron beam lithography.

Involved external institutions

University of Nottingham GB United Kingdom (GB) Universität Ulm DE Germany (DE) Universität Bielefeld DE Germany (DE) Max-Planck-Institut für Polymerforschung (MPI-P) / Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research DE Germany (DE)

How to cite

APA:

Markevich, A., Kurasch, S., Lehtinen, O., Reimer, O., Feng, X., Muellen, K.,... Besley, E. (2016). Electron beam controlled covalent attachment of small organic molecules to graphene. Nanoscale, 8(5), 2711-2719. https://doi.org/10.1039/c5nr07539d

MLA:

Markevich, Alexander, et al. "Electron beam controlled covalent attachment of small organic molecules to graphene." Nanoscale 8.5 (2016): 2711-2719.

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